What to Eat and Drink at Aperitivo Epico, Finestra Italian Steakhouse’s All-You-Can-Eat-and-Drink Friday Happy Hour

• Location: Solaire Resort & Casino, Aseana Avenue, Entertainment City, Tambo, Paranaque City 1701, Metro Manila, Philippines
• Operating Hours: 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
• Free Flowing Drinks and Canapes: 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
• Live Entertainment: 6:00 p.m. to 12:00 midnight
• Cuisine: Italian
• Price per Head: PHP 1288.00++
• Specialty Drinks: Cold Brew Negroni, Finestra Negroni, Analcolico

Celebrate happy hour the Italian way at Finestra Italian Steakhouse’s Aperitivo Epico, an all-you-can-eat-and-drink promotion that only happens on the first Friday of the month, so you can bet that this is the best way to cheer TGIF.

Aperitivo Epico means “epic aperitif”; and aperitivos (“to open” in Italian) are an essential part of Italy’s dining tradition as they are alcoholic beverages imbibed as an opener to a meal. The ABV of an aperitivo is low enough to keep you from being drunk, but enough to prepare your appetite for a more enjoyable dining experience. Finestra Italian Steakhouse believes if you want to enjoy Italian cuisine, do it the Italian way.

That is the vision of Mr. Jefferson Espiritu, Outlet Supervisor of Finestra Italian Steakhouse. “We’re trying to promote Italian beverage/food, so besides the food and drinks that we offer, we also want to make the place a hangout place where you can experience an Italian vibe,” he said. “Everything that you will experience here, you do it Italian style—live music, good ambiance, nice staff.”

The happy hour promotion starts at 5:30 p.m. Guests are given a menu with the selection of drinks, while the canapés are prepared for guests to enjoy. The canapés vary per month, depending on what head chef Chef Marchetti decides to make. Some canapés available are the truffle mushroom soup, tuna sesame, crab meat with cucumber, ravioli with mascarpone, baked oyster, baked mussels, mini Caesar salad, and mashed potato with roasted beef. An assortment of bread, cold cuts, herbed cherry tomatoes, and sardines are also available.

To thoroughly enjoy the creations of Chef Marchetti, sipping on the aperitivos first is a must. For bottled aperitivos, they have white wine (Le Rime Pinot Grigio, Italy and Tavernello Vino Bianco, Italy), red wine (Remole, Frescobaldi, Italy and Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Farnese Italy), sparkling wine (Prosecco Toso, Italy, and Raffa, Spain), and Peroni beer imported from Italy.

If you’re a cocktail enthusiast, then you will enjoy the handcrafted aperitivos that international bartender Giancarlo Mancino (founder of Mancino Vermouth and co-founder of Aperitivo Rinomato) created with the talented bartenders of Finestra. The cocktails are carefully crafted, which makes for great drinks to warm up your appetite as you enjoy a night of good conversations and Italian finger food.

Here are the cocktails on the menu:

Cold Brew Negroni (Mancino Vermouth, Campari, Cold Brew, garnished with orange peel) is what you would enjoy if you like your bitter with coffee notes. According to Finestra bartenders, the Cold Brew Negroni is a favorite even among guests who aren’t coffee lovers. The intense flavor in the mix comes from the coffee that is cold-brewed for 12 hours. Matched with the sweetness of vermouth and the Campari, it’s a must-try Negroni twist.  

Finestra Negroni (Mancino Vermouth, Rinomato, Grapefruit Scrappy’s Bitters, Citadelle Gin, topped with homemade beer-Chamomile foam) served in a golden cup, is a fruity, aromatic drink with a beer foam top made with a hint of Chamomile. The drink has notes of grapefruit and sweet bitterness from the Rinomato and finishes with an herby aftertaste from the chamomile beer foam.

Better Spritzer (Mancino Vermouth, Rinomato, Moscato Sweet Lips, Crodino Soda, Dehydrated Orange Wheel, and Orange Peel) smells of oranges as soon as it is served in front of you. A refreshing bubbly that is sure to cool you down during this summer heat. The bitters are complemented by flavors of Crodino soda, a non-alcoholic aperitivo made by the Campari Group.

Amaro Hi-Ball (ready-made mixture of four different kinds of Amaro and soda water, topped with lemon peel) is a bitter yet refreshing highball to kickstart your palate. Amaro is an Italian word for “bitter,” and the drink’s four different Italian liqueurs combine for a powerful herbal taste. It’s a good drink to open up your appetite.

Mancino V&T (tonic water, Dry Vermouth, choice of cucumber, mint, strawberry, and cinnamon) a cousin of your classic G&T, but this one is bittersweet and same as gin and tonics, you can create your twists with the choices of cucumber, strawberry, and cinnamon. If you order this, the bartender will give you a glass of ice,  vermouth, and the selected flavor along with a bottle of tonic water. The V&T with strawberry and cinnamon is our favorite mix.

Analcolico (passionfruit juice, yuzu Japanese orange Syrup, topped with raspberry foam) the only mocktail on the menu. Guests with sour palates will love this concoction. It’s a good palate cleanser to sip in between canapes. It is very addicting and enjoyable to drink. If you enjoy this mocktail but want a little kick, you can ask the bartenders to add a small dose of alcohol.

For just P1,288, Finestra Italian Steakhouse’s Aperitivo Epico is going to be worth your time and money. With great ambiance and delicious food/drinks as authentic as the ones they serve, you’ll have a great time capping off the week.

So, for every first Friday of the month, be sure to maximize this happy hour promotion, and you’ll be surely saying “TGIF” in an Italian way!

*Price is exclusive of VAT and 10% service charge. For reservations, call 888-8888 or email reservations@solaireresort.com.

Photos by Star Sabroso